In case you haven’t heard, DJ Moore is a really good football player.
In his junior year at Maryland, the wide receiver set a program record for single-season receptions, declaring for the NFL Draft shortly afterward. At the NFL Combine, he turned heads, demonstrating how he was able to post great numbers despite Maryland’s injury woes at the quarterback position.
Now, after months of waiting, there’s an awfully good chance that Moore will get selected in the first round, an honor no Terp has had since Darrius Heyward-Bey back in 2009.
As for who will end up taking Moore, there’s not exactly a consensus. We’ve looked at 11 mock drafts, and there are seven different teams expected to take the record-setting pass catcher.
Pick No. 19 — Dallas Cowboys
Bucky Brooks of NFL.com and Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz of USA Today both expect Moore to take Dez Bryant’s place in Dallas. USA Today noted that Moore’s ability to pick up yards after the catch would be valuable to Dak Prescott. If Moore does indeed end up with the Cowboys, he’ll have pressure on him right away to succeed as the replacement for Bryant.
Pick No. 22 — Denver Broncos
The Broncos do not have the No. 22 pick in the NFL Draft at the moment, but NFL.com’s Peter Schrager expects Denver to make a trade with the Buffalo Bills, which would allow them to take Moore.
“This is a great score for Denver, if he’s there, as the long-term futures of Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas are not set in stone,” Schrager said in his mock draft.
Pick No. 24 — Carolina Panthers
The Panthers already have one of Maryland’s greatest receivers in Torrey Smith, but a pair of mock drafts are expecting Carolina to create a wide receiver duo that is a match made in heaven for Terps fan. The Boston Globe and Los Angeles Times both think Moore is the perfect player to give Cam Newton another weapon.
Pick No. 27 — New Orleans Saints
The Saints got knocked out of the playoffs thanks to a touchdown catch from a former Terp. So it only makes sense that they’d make sure that doesn’t happen again by drafting their own Terp to catch passes. Mike Mayock on NFL.com and NBC’s Rotoworld are both expecting Moore to head to Louisiana and haul in passes from Drew Brees, who’s probably an upgrade from Max Bortenschlager.
Pick No. 29 — Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars have already learned what happens when you draft a Terp, as Yannick Ngakoue has demonstrated. Jacksonville could very quickly have a huge increase in fans around the DMV with a Terp on both sides of the ball. The Washington Post and CBS Sports both think a Moore-Ngakoue reunion will happen.
Pick No. 31 — New England Patriots
Pick No. 32 — Philadelphia Eagles
Imagine the drama if it looks like Moore won’t end up being taken in the first round, then with the last pick, the defending Super Bowl champions take a kid from Philly. That’s what Bleacher Report is predicting, and while Moore returning home and getting to join the Super Bowl champions would certainly be very cool, we’d hope he gets selected a little earlier tonight.
